Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Izyuminka 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety distributed by companies like Aelita. The name translates literally to “Little Raisin,” but in Russian, it is an idiom meaning “Zest” or “Highlight.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It stays very compact, reaching only about 2 feet (50-60 cm) tall. Excellent choice for open ground or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ispanskiy Temno-Malinovyi (Spanish Dark Raspberry) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial and collectible variety in Russia. The name translates to “Spanish Dark Raspberry”. Sourced through collectors like V.V. Redko and commercial vendors like Uralskiy Dachnik. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall/vine) and extremely vigorous. Growers highly recommend pruning it to 3 or 4 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Izumrudnaya Grusha (Emerald Pear) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom whose name translates to “Emerald Pear”. A very popular Green-When-Ripe (GWR) variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Typically grows to 6.5 – 10 feet (2-3 m). The foliage is somewhat light and well-behaved, not overly bushy, but also not the weeping “wispy” … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Iyunskiy (June) 🌍 Origin: A legendary ultra-early Russian community heirloom. Note: There is a commercial variety sold by Sedek with the same name, but this thread specifically documents the famous “Forum Iyunskiy” circulated by the grower Sweet from St. Petersburg. 🌿 Plant Habit: Ultra-early dwarf (determinate). A stout, sturdy, compact little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zlatava (Zlatova) 🌍 Origin: A popular Eastern European commercial variety, frequently sold by the Russian seed company Elkom and the Lithuanian company Seklos. Spelling varies between Zlatova and Zlatava. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but highly manageable and not overly aggressive. A unique quirk of this variety is that it pushes … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoy Mandarin (Golden Mandarin) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety popularized by private seed collector Valya Redko. The name translates to “Golden Mandarin” (or Golden Tangerine), which perfectly matches its bright color and size. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and well-behaved. Typically stays around 20 to 32 inches (50-80 cm) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zyryanka 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai) company. The name “Zyryanka” references a town/river in northern Siberia, signaling its hardy genetics. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Mid-season maturity. A very vigorous, strong, and wide-spreading plant. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, perfectly round/oblate tomatoes. They are … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zemlyak (Countryman) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name “Zemlyak” translates to “Countryman” or “Fellow Countryman”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It has a very wide, sprawling growth habit. It requires virtually no maintenance and can be grown without pruning (suckering). 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Green Zebra 🌍 Origin: A legendary American variety bred by Tom Wagner (Tater Mater Seeds) in 1983. It is arguably the most famous green-when-ripe tomato in the world. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Can be a bit of a slow starter and sometimes grows spindly outdoors, but yields are generally reliable. It … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zasolochniy Delikates (Pickling Delicacy) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released by the famous Siberian Garden (Sibsad) seed company. The name translates to “Pickling Delicacy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Seed packets claim it is a determinate (bush) type reaching 3.3 feet (1 m). However, growers report that when planted in a greenhouse, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Green Honey 🌍 Origin: A US-bred variety that gained massive popularity among European and Russian growers through local seed catalogs. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A true workhorse with an incredible harvest window, pumping out fruit right up until the first frost. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Cocktail-sized beauties weighing up to 2.1 oz … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltaya Mishen (Yellow Target) 🌍 Origin: A unique collector’s variety. Some growers report sourcing it from Chinese seed banks, while others got it from famous Russian collectors like V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Despite some early descriptions calling it mid-sized, it is a highly vigorous, sprawling vine that easily … Read more